Deck 11: Relational Dialectics Theory

Question 1

The central concept of relational dialectics theory is:

A) uncertainty reduction.
B) the desire for intimacy that causes self-disclosure.
C) discourse, or "a set of propositions that cohere around a given object of meaning."
D) online impression management that generates relationship development.

Answer 1

C

Question 2

When attempting to capture the complexity of relationships as seen through the lens of dialectical flux, personal relationships are found to be ________.

A) beneficial
B) messy
C) predictable
D) time-consuming

Answer 2

B

Question 3

Which of the following is NOT one of the dialectical tensions that Baxter and Montgomery address?

A) revelation - concealment
B) judgment - acceptance
C) inclusion - seclusion
D) conventionality - uniqueness

Answer 3

B

Question 4

According to Leslie Baxter, which of the following statements is true about the four "links" that are formed in the utterance chain that create an utterance's meaning, in the context of a relationship between the speaker and the listener?

A) Distant already-spoken discourses are the relationship's history.
B) Nearby already-spoken discourses involve anticipated conversations with the other person in the future.
C) Nearby not-yet-spoken discourses are past comments by those outside the relationship.
D) Distant not-yet-spoken discourses imagine the evaluation of someone outside the relationship in the future.

Question 5

Within any given relationship, Baxter regards the discursive struggle between ________ as foundational.

A) openness and closedness
B) certainty and uncertainty
C) connection and autonomy
D) platonic and romantic

Question 6

Which of the following forms of synchronic interplay replaces an expected discourse with an alternative discourse?

A) negating
B) entertaining
C) countering
D) transforming

Question 7

________ is defined as the belief that communication creates, sustains, and alters relationships and the social world.

A) Constitutive approach
B) Interpretive approach
C) Humanistic approach
D) Nonassertive approach

Question 8

The unpredictable, unfinalizable, indeterminate nature of personal relationships is called:

A) a constitutive process.
B) a dialectical flux.
C) an aesthetic moment.
D) an utterance.

Question 9

Bakhtin believed that:

A) communicative predicaments are a vital element in the study of friendship.
B) complex contradictions lie at the heart of family systems.
C) ethnography is the best way to study close relationships.
D) dialectical tension provides an opportunity to work out ways to mutually embrace the conflict between unity with and differentiation from each other.

Question 10

Baxter and Montgomery's general purpose in developing the dialectical perspective was to discover scientific laws that will explain and predict behaviors that take place between friends and lovers.

Question 11

Baxter and Montgomery believed that relationships improve as self-disclosure and openness increase and uncertainty decreases.

Question 12

No relationship can exist by definition unless the parties sacrifice some individual autonomy.

Question 13

Leslie Baxter no longer prefers the word "contradictions" because it may tempt people to think she's talking about psychological conflict between different desires.

Question 14

In the context of dialectical flux, the chaotic jumble of competing voices is far removed from such idyllic notions of communication as a one-way route to interpersonal closeness, shared meaning, or increased certainty.

Question 15

Baxter believes that communication is an insignificant aspect of a couple's relationship.

Question 16

Memories of aesthetic moments are likely to support relational parties through the turbulence that goes with the territory of any close relationship.

Question 17

From a dialectical standpoint, it is better if one partner is dominant and charts the course for a relationship.

Question 18

A(n) ________ is defined as a fleeting sense of unity through a profound respect for disparate voices in dialogue.

Question 19

________ are defined as the central building blocks of meaning making, where utterances are linked to competing discourses near and far away, already spoken and not.

Question 20

According to Russian philosopher Mikhail Bakhtin, without ________ there is no relationship.

Question 21

You and your friend Casey are experiencing some conflict. He wants you to spend all your time with him, but you feel suffocated. Using Baxter and Montgomery's theory, how will you explain this tension?

Question 22

Compare and contrast the internal dialectics with their external counterparts. What causes these dialectics to exist?

Question 23

Given that relationships are in constant flux and that change is all that is predictable, what good does it do to analyze them as Baxter and Montgomery do?

Question 24

What are the principal complaints about the relational dialectic perspective? How would Baxter and Montgomery respond to them? How would you respond?

Question 25

In your mind, are there any gender- or culture-specific aspects to relational dialectics? If so, what are the consequences of these elements?

Question 26

Compare the approach to relational communication championed by Baxter and Montgomery with social penetration theory and uncertainty reduction theory. How would you assess the insights and values of each theory?

Question 27

Walther's social processing theory suggests that relationships developed via online communication can be as intimate as those developed through face-to-face interactions. Baxter and Montgomery's relational dialectics suggests that, in addition to the need to disclose, people have a competing need for privacy. How might this affect relationships developed via online communication?